Succession

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-027194",
  "term": "Succession",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. The process by which a plant or animal community successively gives way to another until a stable state is reached.\n\n2. Replacement of populations in a habitat through a regular progression to a stable state (climax) (Ricklefs 1979:880).\n\n3. It is an orderly process of biotic community development that involves changes in species, structure and community processes with time; it is reasonably directional and, therefore, predictable. It results from modification of the physical environment by the community: that is, \"succession\" is community-controlled even though the physical environment determines the pattern, the rate of change, and often sets limits as to how far development can go. It culminates in a stabilized ecosystem in which maximum biomass and symbiotic function between organisms are maintained per unit of available energy flow.\n\n4. Process by which a plant or animal community successively gives way to another until a stable state is reached.",
  "subject": "Ecosystems",
  "references": [
    "Chesapeake Bay Glossary",
    "USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Glossary of Avian Terms For Use in Avian Conservation Biology",
    "USDA Forest Service Wildland Planning Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/succession/"
}